Notes:

These next couple of chapters really kicked my a$$ and I've been more frustrated with them than not. Thank you all so much for your kind comments, patience, and encouragement. Without the good reviews to look at when I was completely frustrated, I don't think I would have been able to get these done. I hope you like them. If not, please let me know what can be done to improve them! I still only own Michiko, Kishi, Akira, and the Yankees. :)

~Tali

Chapter 20 - Caught

Does it scare you that I can
Be something different than you
Would it make you feel more comfortable if I wasn't
You can't control me
And you can't take away from me who I am
~Quasimodo, Lifehouse

Michiko and Hatsuharu were sitting on the couch dozing in the afternoon sunlight when a knock sounded on the door. She groaned as he shifted out from under her to answer it. He was finally feeling better but she was still nagging him to take it easy until he was one hundred percent. Figuring it couldn't be anyone too important, he opened the door and went rigid at the carefully blank expression on the doctor's face.

"Hello, Hatori." he said evenly, blocking the door with his body.

"Hello, Haru. Akito would like to speak with you and Michiko. Please come with me."

"We'd rather not." Haru replied.

"May I come in so we are not discussing this in the hall?" Hatori asked.

Haru hesitated but finally stepped back to allow him entrance. When Michiko saw the look on his face she sat up and slipped her wand up her sleeve. Haru stepped to her side and turned to face Hatori, who stopped across the room from them. A tense silence held for a long moment before Hatori broke it. "Akito has found out about your marriage and wishes to speak with you."

"Why?" Haru asked.

Hatori raised a brow, "Why do you think? You have brought her into the family without his permission. He wishes to know how and why."

"None of his business on both counts."

"He also wishes to know what she knows about the Sohmas."

Haru quirked a brow, "She knows how to keep a secret."

"Hatori-san, why don't you seem surprised?"

"I saw the marriage certificate when Haru was ill."

"You told him?" Haru growled.

Hatori gave him a flat look. "I have better things to do than incite his temper, something we do not appear have in common."

Haru bristled but Michiko's hand on his arm stayed his temper. Mostly. "I'll live my life as I see fit."

"And pay the consequences for your actions. Please come with me. Akito will be very angry if you don't and it could make things more difficult for both of you. You know he is already upset about Yuki, Kyou, and Tohru hiding from him and you no doubt helping them."

Michiko stood up and clasped Haru's hand, "Anata, let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can return. You know he'll find a way to get us there any way. It's best if we go of our own volition."

Haru turned stormy eyes on her, "You don't really think he'll let me leave, do you?"

"Yes, I do. After all, there is still a chance that one of the others will try to contact you and he'll be able to follow you to them."

"She speaks sense, Haru." Hatori said quietly.

Haru took a deep breath and let it out. "Very well."

He walked out the door and down to the car with Michiko and Hatori following. Michiko reached over to take his hand during the drive. She was scared but knew she would do whatever it took to get them both out in one piece. She hadn't been able to create a defense against Hatori's memory wipe because she didn't know how it worked. So, instead of having a good plan she was stuck desperately hoping he wouldn't use it against them. Haru saw the fear in her eyes and his grip on her hand tightened.

They drove through the gates and pulled to a stop in front of the main doors. Hatori got out and indicated they should follow. The couple linked hands and fell in silently behind him. Michiko looked at the beautiful sculptures and paintings they passed as they walked and wondered why someone so ugly would be surrounded by so many beautiful things. Perhaps he was trying to hide the truth from himself with pretty distractions? After several turns down long hallways, they came to a stop in front of a pair of ornate doors. Hatori knocked and waited for permission to enter. A few minutes later permission was granted and they stepped inside Akito's personal chambers.

Their eyes landed on the dark haired teen that had caused so much trouble for his family. Physically, he was quite beautiful, but in a cruel kind of way. She kept her face impassive but he knew her thoughts were in turmoil behind the smooth façade. When Akito smiled coldly, the tightness in his chest sank into his stomach. He could take anything the family head dished out, but he wasn't sure about Michiko.

"Haru, Michiko, so lovely to see you." he murmured, sounding anything but happy, or at least not the kind of happy that wouldn't result in someone getting hurt.

The sarcasm in his voice grated both their nerves as Haru nodded and Michiko bowed gracefully. "It is very nice to meet you, Sohma-san."

"Ah, such formality from the newest addition to the family." He walked over and fingered her hair. "Wasn't it black with gaudy purple stripes before?"

Haru saw the fleeting grimace when she realized she had forgotten to change her hair back before he'd let Hatori in. She gave a small smile and glanced down at the floor, "I thought I would try something new."

"I see. Something new to go along with your new family, perhaps?"

"No, Sohma-san, I just like to change it every so often."

He gave the lock of hair a sharp tug before releasing it. She kept the pain off her face as she knew it would just encourage him. "How did you manage to convince Haru to marry the likes of you?"

Her gaze shot up as Haru stiffened. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"He is a Sohma. Far above street trash like you." Akito sneered. "We searched everywhere and there is no record of you after elementary school, Hitomi. Is that when you ran away from home? Or did your parents throw you out? They certainly didn't seem to miss you. There doesn't appear to be anyone that would miss you. Maybe the stupid cow, but he'll choose me over you."

Hitomi? She had to change her name too? Why didn't she tell me? Haru could feel his blood beginning to boil and knew his Black side was about to take over. Not now. I need to stay in control.

There was a sharp pain in his upper arm and he turned to see Hatori stepping back with a syringe in hand. Everything went alarmingly fuzzy around the edges and when he tried to sound angry, it came out a bit dreamy instead, as if he wasn't really invested in the answer. "What did you do to me?"

Michiko looked over at him in alarm. His pupils were slightly dilated and his face was flushed. She didn't know what had been in the syringe but she already didn't like the results.

"He gave you a little something so we could continue our conversation in private without your Black side meddling." Akito said with dark glee. He turned to Michiko, "I am done with you. Stay away from my family. Hatori, you know what to do."

Hatori took Michiko's arm in a firm grasp and started pulling her out of the room.

"Haru!" She struggled against the grip on her arm but couldn't break free. Betrayal showed clearly in her eyes when she looked at Hatori. "You can't do this! You know it isn't right."

Hatori glanced at her impassively as he continued to pull her towards the door. Her horrified expression appeared to have no affect on him at all. He looked at her like a stranger.

Haru moved to go towards her but Akito slammed a fist into his face and he toppled over. "She'll forget you and you'll be all alone. Just you and me and no one else. No one will ever love you."

She redoubled her efforts to get to him, but Hatori just tightened his grip and dragged her bodily from the room and down towards his clinic. In her panic, she forgot that she could transform and overpower him so continued to stumble along behind him while she tried to break free.

"Haru! Let me go, you bastard!" Her mind was churning frantically. She couldn't get to her wand because of the grip Hatori had on her arm. Breathe, Michiko. Think. You know you can get out of this. You just have to think of something. She continued to scream and struggle all the way down the hall. It was hard to keep track of the route they took with eyes blurry from tears but she tried to note it as she dug her nails into Hatori's hand until rivulets of blood dripped to the thick carpet. All she could think of was the sight of a fist hitting Haru's beautiful face. "Let go! I promise I'll make you pay for this!"

Hatori pulled her into the clinic and locked the door. As soon as he released her arm, she was on him, again forgetting to use her abilities but only going after him with her nails and rage. She felt herself losing control and welcomed it. It only took him a moment to knock her into a wall and keep her there. "If you knew about the curse, why did you marry him?"

She looked at him coldly, "I love him and have the backbone to stand up for what I want, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

His eyes narrowed a fraction before he responded. "You know what comes next?"

"I will make you pay. One way or another, the pair of you will suffer by my hand."

"For what it's worth, I am sorry."

She spit in his face. He gave a soft sigh before reaching towards her forehead with his free hand. The last thing she saw was a flash of light and then everything was gone.

----------

Haru grunted as Akito's foot connected with his ribs. "How dare you defy me! Why did you do it?"

"I love her."

"You love me more."

"I don't." He stifled a cry of pain when something heavy slammed into his hand, crushing it against the hardwood floor. Bones grated against each other when the brick-like book was removed. "No matter what you do to me, she'll still be the center of the universe."

"The next time you see her, she won't know who you are."

"She will." She loved him. Nothing could make her forget. Not Akito, not Hatori, nothing. There was no way she would forget. And if they made her, he's just remind her. They were meant to be together. They loved each other. It would be all right, he'd make it all right.

"How did you get them to do it? Buy them off? Threaten them? Tell me."

"It was like magic." he muttered tiredly. Akito backhanded him and his head snapped to the side. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth and Black responded by trying to struggle to the surface.

"It's impossible, isn't it? Can't quite get him to take control." Akito teased. "I prefer talking with you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you." Haru winced when he heard the sound of metal tapping on wood. His gaze was pulled toward the sound against his will. Akito was tapping the tip of a small silver blade against the floor. "Do you know what I'm going to do with this?"

He closed his eyes, not wanting to see whatever it was. Akito continued as if he'd answered, "I'm going to do the same thing to you as that damned, worthless cat. You won't be able to go anywhere I don't take you for a very long time."

"Kyou was only down for a week." he pointed out helpfully.

"That was unfortunate. I'm going to do both of yours to be sure. And I won't let Hatori stitch them up right away either."

"I don't need Hatori's doctoring. Michiko will take care of me."

"She won't know you, why would she care? And how are you going to get to her hovel? Crawl across town?"

"If I have to."

Akito gently pressed the blade against the back of his hand. Blood welled from the small slice and Haru resisted the urge to fight back. That would only incite his temper. It didn't matter what he did. He'd get tired or bored or sick and have to stop eventually. Then, he'd find Michiko and they'd go to the cabin with the others. His eyes shot open. "If Hatori takes away her memories no one will ever find Yuki and Kyou. They'll die without her help."

"No, they won't. They'll just have to come home and stop hiding from me."

"They can't." he replied with more than a trace of pleasure, "They're a hundred miles from nowhere with no way to get out of there except her."

"You're lying."

"What if I'm not?"

Akito's eyes narrowed, "Kureno, call Hatori's office and see if he's finished with the girl."

Haru kept the relief off his face. Maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe there was some way to salvage the situation and get her out of here without permanent harm. He knew Hatori wouldn't physically harm her, but Haru hadn't realized how much he'd hoped his cousin's relationship with Michiko would count for enough to keep him from taking away her memories. He'd heard Shigure taunting Hatori about his beloved child and allowed himself to hope that bond was strong enough to make him go against Akito in this one, small thing. Then he'd watched Hatori drag her away and realized it was for naught. The Doctor did whatever Akito told him without question or hesitation. He'd pay, too.

"There's no answer." Kureno said softly. "Perhaps I should check on them?"

"That won't be necessary. He'll bring her here when he's done with her. I want to be sure Hatsuharu understands that the only person that will ever be here for him is me. The other's will come home when her disruptive influence is gone."

----------

Something was different. She felt . . . free. Unbound by the restrictions she always had. A wicked smile curved her lips as she considered what she might wish to do with this newfound freedom and many possibilities came to mind. Each image was more delightfully bloody than the last. Blue eyes opened slowly and looked around. The room was unfamiliar but that hardly mattered. Leather creaked as she sat up and she watched a man walk towards her. He moved with the confidence of someone that had no idea what he was sharing a room with. Well, that would soon change. As she locked eyes with him, a surge of rage flowed over her. She reveled in it as she flicked a hand to slam him against the wall with a thud. The only picture in the room fell and glass scattered across the tile floor.

Hatori stared at the girl in front of him. He knew it had to be Michiko, but just before she'd opened her eyes he'd glanced over and seen the most shocking thing. Her face had become more angular and her hair turned to a black so deep it had a blue sheen to it. It grew before his very eyes until he was certain it had to be nearly to her knees. The body under her clothes changed as well. It went from the athletic build of a girl that spent hours a week sparring to curves that strained the clothes she was currently wearing. He looked into icy eyes as she spoke, "What did you do to me?"

"I found you outside the gates and brought you in for treatment."

The glitter of a letter opener caught her eye and she walked over to pick it up. Silver, engraved, expensive. She flipped it at him and it embedded itself in the wall an inch from his face. "What did you do? I don't know you, but I'd like to kill you. I'm curious why."

"What do you remember?"

"What should I remember?"

The phone rang and they both ignored it. "A boy."

She considered that for a few moments before shaking her head. "No. Did you take him away?"

"Yes."

"And that's worth killing you for? I'd like to see this boy. I've never before wanted to kill for anyone but myself. You didn't kill him, did you?" Her curiosity peaked at the concern she saw deep in his eyes. "No, he's alive. Take me to him."

When Hatori didn't immediately move her eyes narrowed, "That was not a request. You may step away from the wall and take me to him."

When he continued to hesitate, she stepped into his space, "I can make you or you can do it of your own will, but either way I wish to see him. Now."

When Hatori still didn't move she looked into his eyes and pulled out the information she wanted, roughly. "Come with me."

Hatori's gait was jerky as he followed the command she had given. It was clearly not his choice but she had removed the option of staying behind when she looked into his eyes. She confidently moved through the extravagant house with only a cursory glance around. She glanced at him when they stopped in front of a pair of highly decorated doors. They annoyed her so she reduced them to splinters. It felt good so she gave the statue next to them the same treatment. A quick glance at the man next to her showed he was appropriately terrified. Good. She pushed him just inside the doorway. "Don't move and be quiet."

She stepped into the room and her gaze swept its interior before settling on the three males on the far side. Two looked surprised and the third was looking in the opposite direction. The glitter of metal and blood caught her eye and she spared a moment to examine the knife then the captive. What she could see of his torn clothes and the blood smeared on the floor beneath him suggested the blade had been put to good use not too long before. His hair was black and white and for the briefest of moments she thought she knew what it felt like to run her hands through it. The oldest man stood off to the side while the younger delivered a vicious kick to the captive's ribs. Air gusted from his lungs as she watched and he rolled away from his tormentor. When their eyes locked her amusement with the situation left her and she flicked the other two to the floor. "You're the boy?"

An insane giggle sounded from the younger male before he spoke, "You see? She has forgotten you. I told you only I would always be here for you."

"Go to hell. She can't forget me." the teen growled, his eyes going black. She watched curiously as he dragged himself to his feet. Blood oozed from several wounds as he stumbled over and grabbed her shoulders in an iron grip. "Kitten? Tell me you were pretending."

She shrugged him off and stepped back. "I am not your kitten."

"You are. Please, try to remember. It's me, Haru. Anata, please try to remember." His desperation came through clearly and she would have felt sorry for him, had she been capable. People came to the door and she blocked their entrance absently. Her attention was wholly with the stunning creature in front of her. Even beaten and bloody he was the most appealing male she'd ever seen. The tormentor was still giggling shrilly and she glared at him before returning her attention to the boy.

"You really don't remember anything?" She shook her head and rage suffused his face as he walked over to his tormentor. Several non-fatal hits later, she grasped his hand mid-swing.

"Why do you not kill him?"

"I don't want him dead. I want him to suffer. To pay for taking the best thing in my life away from me."

"You want him to suffer?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"Does there have to be a limit?"

"Pick up the knife and do as I say."

"Why?"

"Because it will make him suffer."

"Why do you care?"

"I enjoy other people's suffering." Her foot stopped just short of suffocation when she put it on the other boy's throat.

"What do you think you can do to me?"

Her smiled turned malicious, "I could do things to you that would make you beg for your death, but he wants your suffering more than I want your death, and for some reason I wish to see him smile." she said in her slow, black-ice voice. It sent chills down Haru's spine, not all of them bad. Her eyes found his. "What would you do to him if you had the power to do . . . anything . . . you wished?"

Haru turned the knife over in his hands for several minutes before he spoke, "I would make him suffer through what he put my family through."

She pondered that for several moments before speaking, "I know just what to do." She leaned close and pressed her hand against his heart, "Press the knife against his cheek and repeat this."

The members of the Jyuunishi watched from outside the room, trying to hear what she was saying to Haru but it was too soft for even Shigure's hearing. Their breathing stopped when Haru smiled coldly and knelt over Akito. None had ever seen him so calm while Black and somehow the uncontrolled rage was less terrifying than the calm that emanated from him now.

He spoke with deep conviction, "Katakiuchi. You will not have a moment's peace in this life or any other until you have suffered all that you have visited upon others."

Akito screamed as much as he was able as the knife grew hot. She removed her foot from his throat to lean her knee on his chest so she would be more comfortable while the spell she had given to the boy was released. When she felt the power dissipate, she nodded that he could remove the knife from the other's cheek and allowed him to assist her to her feet.

"What's your name, if you aren't my kitten?"

"Khristalle."

"Would you like to go home now?"

"Home? I have no home."

"You do. With me. Come and I'll show you."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"It's where you belong."

"I belong nowhere."

He shook his head and reached for her hand, turning it to show the matching rings they wore, "You belong with me."

Curiosity returned as she studied him. He was appealing; there was no denying that. "If I went home with you, what would we do?"

His gaze turned wicked as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. When he leaned back, her eyes were huge . . . and interested. "All right. Let's go."

"I need your help to get there."

"Why?"

"The door is blocked."

She lifted a hand, intent on killing them all, but he clasped it and stopped her. "Not that way. They are my family."

"How then?"

"You have ways of getting information you need." She looked into his eyes and held out her hand. An instant later, they landed in the ally way next to their apartment building and he led her inside and to their home. "Can you make it so no one can get in? Without killing them?"

She shrugged and tapped her wand on the doorframe with a soft mutter. "No one can enter."

"Good." He went straight to the bathroom to clean up and bandage his cuts so he wasn't bleeding all over the floor. It always worried his Kitten to see him bleed so he didn't want her to see it for very long. He glanced into the mirror and saw her standing in the doorway watching him with a coy smile as he stripped so he could check the damage. It took a little longer than he liked to bandage himself up but he got it done as quickly as he could before taking her hands and leading her to the bed, intent on making her remember something, anything. As soon as the bed was close, she sent him tumbling onto it, with her right behind.

----------

Kyou gasped when his necklace went white-hot. Tohru cried out as she fell to her knees and he was at her side in an instant, tugging the burning silver chain over her head and free of her hair. "Are you all right?"

"I think so. Why do you think it's doing that?" she asked as she rubbed the pink skin around her neck. He ran his fingers along the line before deciding it should be all right without any salve. She blushed when she looked up at him. "I'm okay, Kyou-kun."

"I just wanted to make sure."

Yuki hurried in, using his shirt to hold the necklace away from his skin, "What's going on?"

"The last time it burned like this she and Haru were fighting and she was having those nightmares. Something must have happened." The thought was enough to make him want to pack up and start walking.

"Do you think it could be Akito?" Yuki asked, concern clear in his eyes.

"Maybe. He's bound to find out about them with Hatori back and forth all the time and Haru never home." Damn, damn, damn.

"What should we do?" Tohru asked.

"We can't do anything right now. We have no way to find the town she mentioned. We should sit tight. We have plenty to eat and I can catch food if it comes down to that." he replied as he started considering what could be done until Michiko and Haru came back.

"It might be a good idea to build some traps now so we can start catching food before it becomes a problem." Yuki offered.

Kyou nodded, "All right. No one goes out of sight of the cabin until the necklaces stop burning. I'll keep mine handy and let you know when it's safe to put it back on. I'm going to build some traps."

"Don't you need tools for that?" Yuki asked quietly.

Kyou pointed to the tiny shed that had been built on the back of the cabin, "There's tools and stuff in there. Should be enough to make what we need."

"If you'll show me how, I'll help you."

"And me, too." Tohru offered.

"Maybe you should look through that plant book so we can figure out what's around that's safe. I know a few things, but there are plenty I'm not familiar with."

Tohru nodded and started looking through the stacks of books that had accumulated from their schoolwork. Yuki followed him out and they got to work.

"How long do you think we should give it before we get worried?" Yuki asked as he watched Kyou tie the loops for a simple snare.

"A few days or a week probably. If we don't hear from her in a week, we should definitely worry. There's a lot of stuff here we can eat and it's summer so everything's in bloom. We can stay here until it freezes if we need to."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. There's eggs, bugs, plants, small animals. We'll be fine. You might get behind on your homework though."

Yuki didn't dignify that with a response. Tohru brought the book out to the steps and sat while she flipped through it, marking pages of things she was pretty sure she'd see while walking with Kyou.

"I'm going to place these and look around for edibles."

"Edibles?"

"Plants, eggs, bugs."

Tohru blanched, "Bugs?"

"If we need to. They're not bad when you toast them."

She and Yuki shared a disgusted look before he took a seat next to her to look at the pages she'd marked.

----------

Haru opened his eyes slowly and looked around. He was at home, in bed, and surrounded by Michiko's scent. He breathed a sigh of relief as he curled against her and ran a hand down her side before tugging her tight against him. He didn't remember much of the previous day but waking up where he should be was enough to lull him back to sleep, pressed against her warmth.

When he woke up again, a woman was leaning over him. She had Michiko's blue eyes, but they were much colder. He tried to get away and she arrested his backward motion when she spoke. "I still don't remember you."

Everything in Haru's world froze and shattered when he looked into her eyes and saw a stranger. He saw Mi's wedding ring glint in the low light when she pushed her hair back. "Who are you?"

"I told you yesterday, Khristalle. If you can't remember my name for even a day you're not going to make a very good toy."

Toy? This was getting worse by the minute. Maybe it was schizophrenia brought on by stress? "I wasn't myself yesterday. I'm sorry. Do you . . . know Michiko?"

"She is no more."

"What?" Oh no, oh no, oh no. He couldn't breathe. He knew he was pulling in air but his lungs felt starved as everything but her face grayed out. He lifted a trembling hand but stopped just short of actually touching the monster in Michiko's skin. What happened? Where was she? Was this her equivalent to Black Haru? Would Michiko be back as soon as she was sure everything was all right? Was she really gone? Please, oh, please, don't let that be it. Michiko had to be in there somewhere.

"She was gone when I woke up. I didn't realize it at first. I just knew I felt free. If she had still been there I wouldn't have been able to give you that spell."

"What spell?" he asked, terrified what his other side might have asked for.

"The one that made the boy that hurt you suffer."

Oh . . . "So Akito's alive?"

"Yes. Unless he committed suicide between then and now."

"Is that a possibility?" He was ambivalent about it at this point. If Akito had taken his wife away from him, he'd be sure the job was finished properly.

"If he's done as much harm as you implied."

"And you don't remember anything about her?"

"No, but I do like your little kitten. Was that to remind you of her?"

Images of her asking about it and him finally telling her slid through his mind. "Yes."

"I hope it is enough since you'll be seeing her no longer." He watched her in horror as she ran her hand down his chest, "I would like to keep you. Are you willing or will I have to force you?"

"I'm willing." He'd made a promise and even if Michiko wasn't there now, eventually she would be back. She had to be. He loved her with everything he was, she couldn't be gone. Until she found her way back, he'd keep Khristalle close and make sure this monster didn't destroy everything they'd worked for. She tugged on the silk robe he'd bought for Mi last month. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

"I'll fix something for us."

"Very well." she replied as she walked out of the room. He tugged on his jeans and headed for the kitchen, surprised to find her seated on the counter when he got there. "I am curious."

He lifted his brows and waited for her to elaborate. "How did you come to have another side?"

He explained while he cooked and she listened intently to what he said and didn't say. "Is that why she loves you?"

A soft breath of relief escaped him as she spoke of Michiko in the current tense. He knew she was in there somewhere. "I think it made her curious about me, but I don't honestly know why she loves me."

"You never asked?"

"No. I was happy that she did."

"But what if what she loved changed?"

"I believe that we loved many things about each other and no one thing was a deal-breaker." What had happened to this girl to make her think something like that was even possible?

"Does it upset you to see me in her?"

Feeling more in control of the situation, he finished chopping an onion and dumped it in the pan. "No. You're a part of her. There's nothing you can throw at me that I won't accept."

Surprise was clear in her face "Really?"

"Really."

"Even destroying your family?"

"It would hurt me if you did that, but I couldn't stop loving you. You're part of me."

"I am not her."

"No, but you are part of her, which makes you part of me." She had to see the logic in that.

"I am not."

He clasped her small hand, noting the texture was smoother than Michiko's. For all her hard words, this side did not wish to fight or she would have made herself better suited for it. "You've protected her your whole life, how can you say you're not part of her?"

"She told you?"

"She told me you only came out when she was in danger. I don't know if she realized how much you do to keep her safe." He certainly hadn't until just now.

"And you do?"

"Yes, and I love you for it." Had it not been for this part of her, she may not have made it out of her parents house in such good shape, or been able to become the Michiko he loved so dearly.

"No one loves me."

"I do."

"You do not know me."

"I'm getting there." He pulled her close for a kiss and she relaxed into him. She wasn't so bad, and she seemed to have a fair bit in common with his other side. He could do this. Stay with her until Michiko came back. It would be all right.

"You kept her safe as well."

"I tried. She still got hurt." He tilted his head, "Why didn't you come out when the gang attacked her?"

"I was about to but those two boys arrived and she pushed me back."

"She doesn't understand, does she?" he asked as he cupped her cheek.

"She never did. I only wanted to help her."

"Maybe it was the way you went about it?"

"What's wrong with how I protect her? If anyone tries to hurt her they should die."

"You don't think that's an extreme reaction?"

"No."

"She does. It scares her."

"Well she should not be so soft."

"She can't help it." He returned to the stove to finish breakfast, dinner, whatever meal they were on.

"Couldn't help it."

"She couldn't help it. She had a gentle soul." She glared at him and he continued, "Maybe she got all the gentle and you have all the ruthless?"

"Perhaps. Do you miss her?"

"Yes, but I'm enjoying the opportunity to get to know you. She was happy to know my other side and it's only fair that I get to know hers."

"Even if you'll never see her again?" She was really pressing the point, but maybe it was only because she'd never had anything of her own. Everyone wants to belong to someone and maybe she'd been so alone for so long she didn't want to let go.

"Even then."

"You love her very much."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she accepted me as I am and loved me for me."

"What was it like to be accepted like that?"

Haru turned off the burner and stepped over to her. He cupped her face in calloused hands as he pulled her close, then spoke against her mouth, "You'll know soon enough."

He kissed her softly, taking his time with it. So far, she'd only had the flash and fire, but he wanted to make sure she knew both sides and understood the difference. She tried to up the pace but he held her back and continued the gentle assault until she melted against him. He pulled her off the counter and she wrapped her legs around him as they continued the kiss. He carried her down the hallway, only stumbling once on his way to the bed. All those curves she was sporting weighed more than he was used to hauling around . . .